The Salween is a Southeast Asian river, about 3,289 km (2,044 mi) long, flowing from the Tibetan Plateau south into the Andaman Sea.
The Salween flows primarily within southwest China and eastern Myanmar (Burma), with a short section forming the border of Burma and Thailand.
Throughout most of its course, it runs swiftly through rugged mountain canyons.
The river is known by various names along its course, including the Thanlwin (named after Elaeocarpus sp., an olive-like plant that grows on its banks) in Burma and the Nu Jiang (or Nu River, named after Nu people) in China. The commonly used spelling Salween is an anglicisation of the Burmese name dating from 19th-century British maps.
